Fly Away
by Tactical Strike
Summary: A compilation of 256-word drabbles for 30 prompt challenge. Advanceshipping.
1. Ribbon

DISCLAIMER: No copyright infringement intended.

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This is my response to S. Muffin's 30 prompt challenge. Each drabble will contain exactly 256 words. The title is from the song _Fly Away_ by 梁静茹(Fish Leong).

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1: Ribbon

The waves were higher than they had been the previous day, but they weren't the reason that May hadn't slept well on the ferry. She leaned slightly over the side railing, allowing the cold, powerful headwind to run through her hair. Ahead of daybreak, the tranquil sky was still a smooth cobalt blue. A few cirrus clouds, tinted silver as dawn approached, were scattered at high altitudes.

Travelling alone. Some are well suited to it; others are not. May already recognised that she was one of the latter, less than two days into her journey.

She reached into her pocket and withdrew an asymmetrical half of a ribbon, its polished metal surface mirroring the sky. The other half was somewhere far beyond the horizon, the holders of both pieces separated by their own aspirations yet always connected across any distance.

Johto's contests would be as challenging as any. There would be no one there to train with her, to cheer her on, to help her recover from disappointing losses, but May knew that Ash, however distant, would support her always. The next time that they saw each other, she would have something to show for her efforts.

The sun was beginning to edge above the eastern horizon, its first rays gradually colouring the sky a soft pink and the reflective surface of May's ribbon a brilliant gold. She held the ribbon to her heart and turned toward the sunrise, feeling its warmth on her face. Her dreams awaited her, and she was determined to reach them.


	2. Aura

Don't expect consistent updates. I simply happen to have time now.

Note to S. Muffin: The topic "aura" is quite specific and has little to do with Advanceshipping, so your second prompt is also the most difficult. I'm not sure why you would make it like that...

This takes place after Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (movie 9).

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2: Aura

Torrential rain made it difficult to do anything outside, so Ash and May found themselves watching a rather interesting documentary on the television in the Pokémon Centre lobby.

_Five years ago, the criminal syndicate Cipher sought to dominate Orre. Cipher's scientists created Shadow Pokémon – Pokémon whose hearts were closed artificially, making them into emotionless, deadly weapons. Standing in Cipher's way was an unlikely pair; Wes, a trainer and former member of Team Snagem, and Rui, who had the ability to see the normally invisible dark aura surrounding Shadow Pokémon..._

The rest of the evening passed quickly, as the documentary was surprisingly fascinating.

..._in a final confrontation at Realgam Tower, the heroes took on and defeated Cipher's Admins and secret leader, Evice. After his loss, Evice attempted to escape by helicopter, only to be foiled by the legendary Ho-Oh, which had been watching over Wes and Rui throughout their journey. Their valiant exploits will be remembered forever by the people of Orre._

"Hey, Ash," asked May enthusiastically as the ending credits began to roll. "Don't you think that they make an amazing couple?"

Ash looked at her with a questioning expression.

"You know, Wes and Rui," she continued matter-of-factly. "Even though they met by chance, they formed a perfect team and stayed by each other's side through every difficulty. They even saved the world together, just the two of them. Isn't that romantic?"

"Um...sure," replied Ash, somewhat confused. He didn't really see where the conversation was supposed to be going. "What's that got to do with anything?"

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Colosseumshipping=WIN.

Anyone else who's played the game has got to agree with me.


	3. Bulbasaur

Update again! I feel so consistent...

This was a really fun prompt to write about.

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03: Bulbasaur

"Bulbasaur, Petal Dance, go!"

From the aperture of the bulb on its back, the Grass type launched a torrent of cherry blossoms at the training target, a wooden post thirty metres away. At first, the petals spiralled beautifully forward with perfectly curved flight paths. Abruptly, though, the helix imploded; petals veered off course, collided with each other, showered the battlefield with a rain of vivid pink, but left the target untouched.

"Looks like we still need work on that," May observed. She ordered another Petal Dance which turned out to be just as ineffective, much to her dismay. "Bulbasaur, let's take a break." The coordinator sat down on the grass as her Pokémon came to her side.

"What's distracting you, Bulbasaur?" she asked gently. "Ever since you joined me in Johto, you haven't been performing nearly as well as before."

"Bulba," replied the small Pokémon sadly. She slowly extended her two vines into the air to form a heart shape.

"Oh, I see." May's expression softened. "You miss Ash's Bulbasaur, don't you?"

Bulbasaur nodded.

"Don't worry," reassured May. "When you share a strong bond with someone you love, they'll always be in your heart, even if they aren't right by your side." She paused. "I'm working hard to reach my dreams so that when I see Ash again, I'll have something happy to share. You'll see Ash's Bulbasaur again, I promise. In the meantime, do your best! I know you're capable."

"Bulbasaur!" the Pokémon agreed enthusiastically.

"All right, Bulbasaur!" May encouraged, standing up. "Now, Petal Dance!"


	4. Princess

This was another rather odd choice for a prompt, but it works, so I have no reason to complain. The next few should be pretty interesting...

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04: Princess

_Princess of Hoenn_.

May had earned the name for herself with her spectacular performances in Kanto, and it had stuck in Johto. With four ribbons to her credit, she was only one away from Grand Festival qualification, but her fifth seemed to be always just a centimetre out of reach. The day had been a disappointment; her impressive appeal was followed by two rounds of lacklustre battles that led to her third consecutive loss.

Ecruteak City's narrow, winding streets were relatively empty as rain fell lightly from the darkening late-afternoon sky, the beginnings of the sunset providing the low cloud cover with a slight rose tinge. Raindrops striking the traditional clay roof tiles common there produced a harmonious melody like a symphony of a thousand bells. May had no umbrella; fortunately, the roof eaves provided a bit of shelter.

Her battle tactics had not been as effective recently as they once were. Ash, in addition to being her mentor, had always been up for a training battle. Now that she was travelling alone, she rarely had the opportunity to practise against an actual opponent, and it was showing in her contests.

Despite the city's confusing street layout, the coordinator was not lost and arrived at the Pokémon Centre quickly. After making sure that her Pokémon were getting much needed rest, May glanced at the clock. It would be late morning in Sinnoh, eight hours behind, so she logged into a videophone.

Princess of Hoenn she might be, but May quite missed her knight in shining armour.


	5. Ocean

This was more difficult than I anticipated. I was only able to get inspiration after taking an actual trip to the seaside.

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05: Ocean

After filtering through a hundred metres of ocean, the radiance of the brilliant sunset was reduced to a few scattered beams of light that cast odd shadows in the corridors of the Sea Temple. Ash stopped briefly to assess the surroundings, certain that they had already passed this location. The parallel water channel, which normally bubbled with tranquillity, blasted its overflow water onto the tiled floor, making it even more slippery.

He held May's hand more tightly as the pair half ran and half slid toward the arched opening at the corridor's end. They had to be more careful, he knew, as they were no match for the sea's relentless assault. One mistake, one momentary loss of footing, and both of them would be dead within minutes.

As he reached the arch, he was able to hang on tightly enough that he was not knocked over the edge when May collided with him a second later from behind. They stood at the precipice, the once gentle waterfall there now a raging, uncontrolled torrent. There was no way forward unless…

Unless they took the ten-metre drop and crossed to the raised ledge in the centre of the mostly submerged circular gallery.

Decision time ended. Ash leaped first, trying to ignore the pain caused by his improper diving position, and pulled himself onto the stone ledge. He extended both arms to May, helping her out of the water. They nodded to each other wordlessly. This was not over yet, not when they were still at each other's side.

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Well, it was about time that I wrote some action. As much as I would like to, I will not speculate about May in Johto in every drabble. Next update should be soon.


	6. Contest

An update...heh...

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6: Contest

The ship to Johto seems to her, for some incomprehensible reason, unbearably slow. She twists uncomfortably on the narrow bed of her cabin, having lost both her patience despite just having departed and her heat tolerance despite the air conditioning. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, to do on the overnight journey except lie in bed and think. Her constant turning and rolling has left the bed sheets in disorder, but she does nothing but curl up more tightly.

The more that she contemplates, the weaker her excuses seem. _Contests_. That was the reason she had given to the others when she left for Johto. Nonetheless, she knew that in Sinnoh there were also contests and also a Grand Festival to win and that _contests_ were a very, very pathetic excuse to depart by herself.

Of course, she couldn't tell her best friend her true reason for leaving. That her feelings toward him had grown during their travels, from reluctant admiration to steadfast friendship to…to _love_. That she was undoubtedly in love with him. That all of the intimate words, the brief touches, the hints that she wanted to take their relationship to the next level, all of them had simply bounced off his thick head. So she had decided to take a break from the constant frustration.

However, she has difficulty falling asleep that night, and it continues for months. The frustration has left her heart, replaced by a constant, intense longing that she realizes, a bit too late, to be much, much worse.


End file.
